Gas Well Blow Out Capped After 16 Hours

Pennsylvania's Secretary of Environmental Protection John Hangar calls the blow out at a Marcellus Shale gas drilling site in Clearfield County was "a serious incident and will be fully investigated" by his agency.
Officials say gas and polluted water from the shale fracturing process shot 75 feet into the air Thursday night about 8 p.m. Personnel from Clearfield County, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, the DEP, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and state police responded. The well was capped around noon Friday. Authorities say the gas never caught fire and there were no injuries. The well is in Lawrence Township, a remote area of Clearfield County near Interstate 80. The operator is EOG Resources which was formerly Enron. EOG would not comment on how the accident occurred, saying the investigation was ongoing. The company released a statement saying that public safety and protection of the environment are of the utmost importance.